Central Shrine – Outer Circle, Tower Floor 2
The battlefield lay bathed in firelight. Ruined shrine pillars cracked under the thunderous march of the Banner Fiend. Its giant sword dragged jagged scars across the stone floor, and each step reverberated like a war drum.
Ankit stood between two worlds—his blade soaked in blood, his breath shallow, his eyes locked on the towering monster ahead.
Vanya groaned, blood trailing down her arm as she pulled herself behind a fallen statue.
"Ankit—don't engage alone. You'll die."
Tejas, still radiating infernal aura, barked from the other side, "Ignore her! Distract the Fiend. I'll end this!"
Ankit didn't move.
Instead, his mind spun.
"Tejas doesn't see it. He's too hot-headed. Vanya's injured. And I can't do this without them. Not this time."
📉 [System Alert]
[Target: Elite Guardian – Banner Fiend]
[Weak Points: Banner Anchors – 7 Remaining]
[Current Team Status: Split | Support Unavailable]
[Recommended Strategy: Synchronize strikes. Target Anchors in pattern.]
[Soul Weapon Synchronization: 68%]
[Bloodline Synchronization: 43%]
The battle that followed wasn't a fight—it was a symphony of chaos.
Vanya staggered out to bait the creature into exposing a side flank. Tejas crashed in from the opposite arc, shattering two banner anchors with a flaming cyclone kick.
And Ankit?
He disappeared into a blur, activating Serpent Dash and blinking behind the monster's right calf.
He whispered, "Venom Fang—Lotus Cut."
His blade curved in a diagonal arc, laced with venom.
A third banner shattered.
⚔️ MINI-BOSS PHASE 2
The Banner Fiend roared—its hollow head splitting open to reveal a spinning core of burning sigils.
It stabbed its massive sword into the ground.
[Status Effect: Curse Banner Deployed – All Healing Disabled. Mental Strain +20%.]
Vanya collapsed, coughing blood.
Tejas stumbled backward, his knuckleblades flickering.
"DAMN IT! That curse zone's too strong."
Only Ankit stood unaffected. Something inside him was… resisting the pressure. The Soulmark on his back glowed fiercely.
Then—he heard a voice.
Not from outside.
"Do not fear becoming the sword. Let your soul carve the path."
He didn't recognize it.
But he accepted it.
🔓 Hidden Trait Activated
[Bloodline Resonance Achieved – 50%+]
[Trait: Bladeheart's Echo (Locked: ???)]
[Temporary Boost: +15% movement | +25% strike speed | Enables precision anchor cutting.]
With three quick strikes, Ankit severed two more anchors—leaving only two.
The Banner Fiend staggered and tried to crush him under its blade.
Too slow.
He blinked behind the arm, ricocheted off its elbow, flipped midair, and drove his talwar straight through the final back-mounted anchor.
[Anchor Destroyed – Core Vulnerable]
[Final Blow: Available]
"Tejas!" he shouted.
But the boy didn't rise.
Instead—it was Vanya, crawling through the curse zone, that tossed Ankit her Mirror Spear with her last strength.
"End it," she whispered.
🌪 Final Sequence: Dual Soulstrike
Ankit took the Mirror Spear in his left hand, talwar in the right.
He dashed in.
His blade met the Guardian's throat.
The spear—his offhand—pierced the core.
Both weapons exploded in light.
The Banner Fiend screamed—and shattered into glowing shards of cloth and steel.
[Banner Fiend Defeated]
[You are the Primary Slayer. Rewards Allocated:]
– [Artifact Banner: Black Serpent Standard – Rare+]
– [Writ of Dominion x1]
– [Skill Scroll: Venom Spiral Cut – Acquired]
– [Progression: +32% | Bloodline: +8%]
– [System: You have completed Floor 2 Trial.]
Aftermath
Ashfang Kin limped back to the rest zone. Tejas refused to look at Ankit. Pride and defeat wrestled inside him.
Vanya sat beside Ankit near a pool of glowing water. "Thanks for not letting me die."
Ankit looked at his reflection. "You would've done the same."
She smiled faintly. "That's the problem. No one else here would have."
That night, Ankit stood beneath the artificial stars of the Tower.
He replayed every move, every breath, every strike.
Even with all that power… it wasn't enough alone.
If Vanya hadn't thrown the spear—
If Tejas hadn't broken the anchors first—
If even one thing had gone wrong…
He might have died.
"I need people I can trust… not just to fight beside me, but to survive beside me."
"Next time… I choose my team."
📅 [System Alert: Floor 2 Complete]
[1-Month Intermission Activated – Returning to Earth]
[Note: You may return to the Tower after cooldown. Floor 3 awaits.]
🌍 Earth – One Week Later
Ankit stood in an abandoned railway station outside Rohtak, a black coat over his Tower gear, hood shadowing his face.
He handed a simple card to a scarred, wary ex-climber.
On the back, just two words:
"Blackhunt Rises."